In 1975, the Altair 8800, based on the Intel 8080 microprocessor, was released as a build-it-yourself kit. It is widely considered to be the first personal computer. While it had no keyboard or monitor, the Altair sparked the personal computer revolution, inspiring hobbyists and entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Paul Allen to develop software for it, including a version of the BASIC programming language.

The Altair 8800 is a foundational event in the history of personal computing. It set in motion the development of the personal computer, a tool that would eventually transform the lives of all writers, including poets. While the Altair itself was not a writing tool, it was the first step in a revolution that would lead to word processing, digital publishing, and a new era of literary creation, where the computer would become as essential to the poet as the quill was to the scribe.